Prevent identity theft

September 18, 2009

As a business owner, you’re responsible for protecting your employee and customer data from theft. Here are some examples to get you started.

  • Keep important documents in a safe or safety deposit box.
  • Shred your statements before throwing them out.
  • Don’t be careless with your mail.
  • Keep social security numbers secure and only on a need to know basis.
  • Don’t let employees take customer and employee data out of the office.
  • Protect your digital files (i.e. encryption, passwords and physically).
  • Learn how to encrypt your files and store them securely on optical media (DVD, CD), external hard drive, or online storage service.
  • Properly dispose of unnecessary copies of sensitive data (i.e. shred paper, wipe and physically destroy hard drives, CDs, disks).
  • Loose lips sink ships. Sometimes it’s best to zip your lip.
  • “Social engineering” is one of the most efficient ways for scam artists to get info they should not have.
  • Don’t send passwords via email.
  • Teach your employees to treat data and security seriously.

Be aggressive, take it seriously and don’t delay. Do what you can to protect your data — no one else will.

What would you suggest?

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